This invention relates to a load-sharing type magnetic head, comprising a plurality of magnetic head cores and a plurality of drive lines formed of coils each wound successively on the head cores, whereby the sum of the magnetomotive forces produced in the selected head core is increased amply and that produced in the remaining head cores is decreased amply by properly controlling the direction and/or magnitude of electric current passed through each of the coils of the particular drive lines selected in a given operation.
In recent years, the necessity for devices capable of recording and processing large volumes of information as in the electronic computer field has encouraged the development of devices adapted for high-density recording of information and, consequently, the development of simplified circuits configurations for such devices.
For the purpose of high-density information recording, two major approaches are conceivable one resorting to improved data processing as by the encoding of data and the other directed to increased recording density on recording media such as magnetic tapes and disks. One conceivable method in the latter approach would be to produce an extremely high-precision magnetic head for recording data and designing the recording medium in a multitrack construction and thereby increasing the number of recording tracks available for the data recording. As one way of attaining high-density recording, a multiplicity of magnetic heads is formed on a substrate using the thin-film processing techniques and the photolithography, techniques which promise to make possible large-scale integration.
The conventional magnetic head, however, is constructed so that each of the component magnetic head cores has one coil wound a required number of turns thereon and the magnetomotive force generated in the core depends on the direction and magnitude of the electric current passed through that coil. Even in the integrated production of a multiplicity of magnetic heads as by the thin-film processing techniques, there arises a necessity for providing a given substrate with as many coil terminals as magnetic heads to be deposited on the substrate. There also is a consequent necessity for providing the substrate with as many lines for connection with external circuits as magnetic heads deposited on each substrate. Owing to the presence of these terminals and lines, there is a limit to the degree of integration attainable in fabricating magnetic heads. As in the case of an independent magnetic head, the connection of one integral magnetic head with an external circuit becomes complicated in proportion as the number of component magnetic heads increases.
Heretofore, adoption of multiturn coils of a spiral construction or helical construction has been conceived as an effective means for realizing successful integration of conventional magnetic heads. The spiral construction is produced by an easy process because the coil is developed in one plane, whereas since the area occupied by the coil portion is large, it becomes difficult to sufficiently decrease the intervals between the adjacent heads. The helical construction is very difficult to produce because the number of steps in the production process increases with the increasing number of turns of the coils. Owing to these difficulties, the two constructions are prevented from being effectively adopted for large-scale integration of conventional magnetic heads.
An object of the present invention is to provide a load-sharing type magnetic head constructed wherein the drive line such as of coils wound on a plurality of head cores is simplified, the miniaturized integration is easily accomplished and high-density recording and readback of data are effectively permitted in conformity with the advanced function of the multitrack recording media such as are used in electronic computers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a load-sharing type magnetic head constructed wherein the number of external outgoing terminals is decreased to the extent of minimizing the combining lines for connection with external circuits.